Elizabeth Barrett’s husband…

…Was born today, in 1812. Great poets these days seem useful chiefly as fodder for tear-off daily calendars and coffee mugs. But this one from Robert Browning is a good insight into the modern, or perhaps eternal, predicament:

There are those who believe something, and therefore will tolerate nothing; and on the other hand, those who tolerate everything, because they believe nothing.

I liked this bit from the American Academy of Poets online bio:

Elizabeth inspired Robert’s collection of poems Men and Women (1855), which he dedicated to her. Now regarded as one of Browning’s best works, the book was received with little notice at the time; its author was then primarily known as Elizabeth Barrett’s husband.

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